Have you ever wondered how to create antagonists that your readers will love to hate? It’s a fascinating blend of relatability and a threat to core values.
In this video, I delve into the art of crafting villains that captivate and intrigue, exploring how making your villain human, with relatable struggles and emotions, is key to drawing readers in.
But there’s more—the villain must also pose a threat to something deeply cherished by the protagonist.
This combination of humanization and threat creates a multi-dimensional character that resonates deeply with readers.
Join me as I unravel these concepts and guide you in creating your own unforgettable villain.
Hello, Jane Cleland here.
How can I create villains my readers love to hate? Seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Love to hate.
I think there are two factors: relatability and a threat to values.
Relatability is probably the number one reason why agents decide not to work with an author. And by that I mean, I don’t have to like your character, but I have to relate to the character. You do that by showing how they’re human, how they face the same kinds of dilemmas—physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional—that you do, that the reader does. So you have to create a believable character who interacts with his world, or her world, in a credible way.
The second factor is the threat to values. If the villain is threatening something that the protagonist holds dear and that is easy to understand why people hold it dear—home, family, beloved treasures. In other words, it doesn’t only have to be something so obvious. It can be a talisman. It can be a photograph. It could be something that your long dead mother gave you on her deathbed, and that particular object represents far more than whatever the object is. It represents your mother’s love for you. Well, if someone is out to steal it, not good.
Relatability… threat to values. Put those together, and you’re going to create a villain that is 360-degree believable, and that’s someone your readers are going to love to hate. I know you can do it!
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